LAX Sports !

By Sean Connolly

With wins by the Barrage and Riptide the postseason has been sorted out putting an end to a fantastic regular season. The Philadelphia Barrage beat Boston last night to make it to their 3rd straight postseason. Los Angeles Riptide made it in last night by defeating the San Fransisco Dragons. But, quite frankly neither team stands a chance.

They’ve played well all season but the Riptide and Barrage are simply no match for the overly talented and powerful Denver Outlaws and Rochester Rattlers. The Rattlers and Outlaws seem to be destined for a match up in the final pitting Rochester’s John Grant against Denver’s Brian Langtry. The Western Conference Champion Outlaws have put up the most dominant numbers in the entire league and I’m afraid that only the Rattlers can stop them.

So, what are my predictions for the postseason? It’s simple really…The Outlaws destroy the Riptide, The Rattlers demolish the Barrage, and we’re set up with one of the best finals the MLL has ever produced between the Outlaws and Rattlers. Although I love how John Grant has been playing I think this is Brian Langtry’s year as he and the Outlaws will leave Boston with the championship.

It might sound lame but the definite winner of all this is the fan. Lacrosse has made a huge move this year with the college championships and this year’s MLL season. Finally lacrosse fans can unite and actually be able to watch their favorite sport on television, even if it is on ESPN2.

By Sean Connolly

Lacrosse is slowly getting there. The thing is though, it’s slowly getting there. What should the MLL do to improve the league and expand itself? For me it all starts with marketing.

John Grant of the Rochester Rattlers

After Syracuse beat Johns Hopkins, lacrosse was on a high. The championship was widely televised on ESPN and garnered the biggest audience for a lacrosse match. I think right there was the MLL’s chance to shine. And personally, I don’t think they did enough. It was a real legit chance in which they had lacrosse on the proverbial sports pedestal and they failed to hit the nail on the head.

They need to start marketing the big names. In every league in America, big names draw big crowds which bring in big money. Every league has an untouchable hero in which like him or hate him, you have to appreciate him. One player who I think can easily take that role is John Grant of the Rochester Rattlers. He is easily the best player in lacrosse and has been around for a while, so every one appreciates what he’s done. He won last year’s MLL MVP in both the indoor and outdoor league showing his versatility. John Grant should be made the face of the league.

Rattlers’ Attack Man John Grant

Also to develop a league, great story lines need to be developed. Now I’m not saying the MLL should go on making up stories but they need to really drive home the really good ones. They need to make a hero out of John Grant and he needs an adversary. Since Grant plays for Rochester, an East Coast team, his opposite has to reside on the west coast to really develop a rivalry. I think Brian Langtry is the man for that job. He plays for a well rounded hard to beat Denver Outlaws team and would fit the role perfectly. If they can market these two as enemies of each other duking it out it will definitely garner interest.

Brian Langtry of the Denver Outlaws

The biggest chance the have though is coming up a week from today. The MLL All-Star game. It is being held in Denver at Mile High Stadium and is a real opportunity for the MLL to strut its stuff. People will tune in to an all-star game if they don’t follow the league. It happens all the time in American sports. When the MLB has their all-star game next week I guarantee many people will tune in who don’t normally watch baseball. The thing I’m most excited for is the Skills Challenge. John Grant is a participant and it’s going to be so much fun to see what he can do. The MLL needs to realize what is at stake on July 17th when the All-Star game is being played, because if they don’t this league could crumble in a matter of years.